Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Through my job, I often have the opportunity to meet amazing visiting artists from all over. Last week, I had a wonderful time getting to know the lovely and talentedStephanie Liner.

Stephanie lives and works in New York City, but grew up in North Carolina with connections to the furniture and textile industry. Her work explores sexuality and idealized beauty through references to domestic space and fashion. Stephanie's craft quality is absolutely gorgeous and her use of live models adds a somewhat unnerving element to her work. Its pretty easy see why she's gained such notoriety as a young contemporary artist, and great to see such a likable lady find success. I hope our paths might cross again someday and I'd really love to see her work in person!

Monday, March 29, 2010

As of this weekend, I'm officially accepted into the Dustbowl Arts Market, which takes place on April 25 during Norman Music Festival. I'm really looking forward to it, but with this being my first attempt at an arts market, I'm pretty nervous too. Last night I grouped all my completed pieces together on a table, but the effect was a little less dramatic than I'd hoped. *gulp* I'm slowly building a decent sized inventory, (the two images above feature a few of my latest additions) but I guess now is the time to kick it into high gear.

If anyone out there is an old pro at the whole arts market scene, or even if you're not, I'd love some advise. I'm hoping to learn a lot from this experience, get my name out and about, and maybe even make a little coin :) Hope to see or meet you on April 25... wish me luck!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Sorry I've been a bit out of touch, but when it rains it pours-as they say, and as many of you know, I've been spending a lot of time under an umbrella lately. Last Monday, my Granddad Jack died, and D and I just got back from spending time with family in Corpus Christi, TX. This loss, on the heels of my dad's death, was certainly difficult, but eased with the knowledge that my granddad was lucky enough to live 85 long, full years. My granddad, an entrepreneur turned farmer and rancher, was exceedingly industrious and known for his quick dry wit. To me, my grandfather's remarkable true life story is rivaled only by his hilarious accounts of imaginary exploits.

I was honored to be the recipient of a few treasured artifacts of my granddad's. This tackle box and level were built by my great-grandfather, who, like my granddad Jack, was a woodworker.

In my granddad's shop, I stumbled across a particularly unique and enthralling collection of these QSL cards.

After my grandfather returned from WWII, where he was a radio operator, he developed a passion for amateur or "ham" radio. Amateur radio stations operate using Q-code. Q-code, a form of Morse code, allowed operators to facilitate communication with people who spoke different languages, from places far and wide.

These QSL cards are calling cards of sorts for ham radio operators and represent a confirmation of a two-way-radio contact. Sending, receiving, and collecting these cards was purely recreational. You might even call this hobby the precursor to social networking. After all, ham radio operators throughout the mid century were simply making connections to other people with a shared interest.

It's easy to see, looking to the selection above (a few of over 300, now in my possession) that people used their cards to express their individuality and cultures. My granddad was sent cards from all over the globe- Japan, the USSR, Cuba, Germany, Christmas Island, Rwanda, Bermuda, even a couple from Antartica- and that's just to name a few.

The joy that these vintage treasures bring me is dulled a bit by the sad fact that I never talked to my granddad about this passion of his. Regrettably, I discovered most of these ham radio facts via a Google search. He did share lots of stories with me, throughout my life, but probably never dreamed that I'd care about this long past past-time. I hope to encourage you to discover the past lives of your elders- listen, and enjoy the company of people who are far more interesting than you :)

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Thursday, March 11, 2010

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a wonderful lecture by kenetic sculptor Arthur Ganson. I meant to share his work with you at the time and I hope that you'll enjoy sifting through his videos as much as I do (this is one of my favorites). Maybe it's because we are so accustomed to the precipitous, abrasive qualities of machines we interact with in our daily lives, that Ganson's delicate, quietly humming, gracefully moving pieces retain the awe that their relatively simple mechanics might not inherently bestow.

If you'd like to hear Ganson talk about his work, take a little time towatch him speak at TED-and if you're hungry for more kinetic sculptors, you'll love Theo Jansen.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Here you see a couple of lovely ladies posing with few accessories I've made recently. Good models don't you think?- and only a minimal amount of coercion involved! I had great weekend with these two; pizza, wine, waffles, an art show, hand-made doggie bandannas (thanks Whit!)...good times. Anyway, all the items you see above and others you've seen on this blog will soon be for sale on Etsy and hopefully at the Dustbowl Arts Market on April 25. I'll keep you updated.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Today, I installed my new piece,"Facet Fasten"at Momentum (an annual juried exhibition for Oklahoma artists under 30) (pic). I couldn't, however, help thinking back on an old piece-"Need Think. Make." My friend Margaret and I worked tirelessly on this installation for probably six months and it received the curator's choice award at last year's show. Making that piece was such a great experience and something I'm pretty proud of. (you can see more pics by Sarah Warmker here)

I am so looking forward to this weekend. Momentum openings are such a blast, and I'll have the pleasure of being visited by two of my favorite gal pals. Can't wait to see you guys!